Once Upon A Heartbreak
by Love Exists Where Unexpected
Summary: Based off song and princess. Guess which. Murder. Abuse. I warned you! Puzzleshipping


_**Once Upon a Heartbreak**_

This story starts in a small village on the southern border of a kingdom known as Zalam [Darkness]. It was a relatively unknown village. The noble family of Moto – consisting of Lady Akira Moto, Lord Zachariah Moto, their eldest daughter, Yugi Moto, their youngest daughter, Anika Moto, and their only son, Hajime Moto – was a kind family.

The eldest of the three children – Yugi Hikari Moto – was a beautiful young girl of five as we begin. Her eyes were a bright blue that – more often than not – appeared purple – amethyst, if one was to ask her family, and lilac, if one asked her friends. Her hair was long – stopping at about her mid back – and black, tipped in purple. Bangs the color of the sun when it was high in the sky – her younger sister had just learned that that the word for that time was "noon" or "afternoon", depending on who you spoke to – hung in her face from the time she got out of bed until the time she laid back down in bed. Her skin was a beautifully fair color, no matter how much time she spent in the sun, playing with her younger sister and twin brother. She was certainly her mother's daughter.

The second youngest was Hajime, who was five minutes younger than his big sister. Hajime was born with the same pale skin as Yugi, but he always had a tan from being outside. He was quite the active being, always playing with at least one of his sisters or someone from the village they lived on the edge of. He had received his father's blonde hair but his mother's and sister's eyes. Besides his hair, eyes, and ability to tan, he looked exactly like his sister from head to toe. They were both relatively short – a feature they had gotten from a mixture between their parents, both of whom were certainly quite short – and both were certainly objects of affection among the kids their age. Many of them had tried to kiss one of the two and earned a kick or a punch to the face, for although they were kind, neither of the twins would put up with receiving the affections of another.

The third of the children was Anika Moto, a four year old child with hair that just barely brushed against her shoulder blades and matched that of her sister's, although hers was a coal black while her sister's was the color of the ebony windowsills outside their house. Her eyes were brown. No one knew where she had gotten them, for her mother had the blue eyes of her sister while her father had the green eyes of the grass on the ground outside. Her skin was as pale as the streams of moonlight that streamed into the windows of the room she shared with her brother and sister.

It was late in the night, when Anika woke up Yugi – and, by default, Hajime who, according to his family, had always been too light of a sleeper. "'Haki, just go back to sleep, okay?" Yugi told her brother as she stood up out of her bed. Hajime stood with her. "Why do you never listen to me?" Yugi asked, crossing her arms as she walked to her sister's bed.

"Because I don't have to," Hajime answered. "Besides, as your bwother, it is my job to protect you, and dat is what I'm going to do." He walked to the door and stepped out as their parents stepped in and motioned for him to remain in the room. He sighed and walked to his bed, dropping down onto it.

"Yugi, what is going on?" their father asked, his green eyes crinkling as he smiled at his daughter. The two loved each other, even if Yugi _had_ always been a mama's girl. He always said that he had expected it when she refused to let him hold her for more than a few minutes when she was born. Yugi explained that she herself was trying to figure that out and then told him what she knew. The man smiled as his wife wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter. "Hm... Why does it not surprise me that your brother would do that?"

Akira laughed. "Perhaps, Zachariah, it is because he has always been _your_ son," she answered. "They always say that the apple never falls far from the tree."

"Nommy," Yugi said as she tugged her mother's dress lightly. "What does dat mean? Haki isn't an apple, and baddy isn't a tree. Besides, 'Haki never fell from baddy, did he?" The innocence in the young but intelligent girl's voice was too sweet for one to ignore as she asked such a question.

Her parents laughed quietly as Anika climbed into her father's lap and Yugi sat in her mother's. "Well, Yugi, do you remember when we were teaching you that some things aren't meant to be taken seriously?" The girl nodded as her mother continued. "Well, that was one of those things, baby. What I meant was that children are always like their parents. You take after me, your brother takes after daddy, and your sister takes after both of us. Do you understand now?"

Yugi nodded and smiled. "Uh huh," she said. "So Joey takes after her baddy?" Her eyes sparkled as she tried to come up with an example. "Which means dat Joey didn't fall from the twee, wight?" Her parents nodded and smiled at her, and her sweet, innocent smile widened into a happy grin. "C'mon, Ika! Let's go to bed! Den mommy can tell us da story of da faiwy godmother!"

The younger Moto child grinned and climbed into the bed with her brother and sister, the three of them sharing the warmth and space. Akira and Zachariah smiled at their children, tucking them in before walking out, silently shutting the door after whispering that they loved their babies, both allowing a few tears to roll down their face. It was a good thing they had said this, since all three children were up and would never again see their mother. Anika would be gone by the time Hajime woke up with Yugi, having slept through the night for once in his life. Their parents would be killed in the middle of the town while getting some eggs for breakfast before the twins woke up together, only to realize that their parents weren't home, and their sister was gone...

Two years passed simultaneously slowly and quickly for the children. They were two long years, spent living in the orphanage, for no one wants a child that already has a mindset and cannot be manipulated into changing their mind about anything. Many people had considered adopting one of the twins, but neither would allow them to take one without the other, for each was the other child's only family and would not let that go.

Both children refused to change their views on kindness, holding onto their mother's favorite lesson: _"Have courage, and be kind, for where there is kindness, there is goodness, and where there is goodness, there is magic."_ They both knew the quote inside and out, top to bottom, front to back. It had been repeated so often when they were younger, and the two often said it before they went to bed. It had been a personal request – more of a demand, really – made by Hajime himself that the two sleep in the same bed, despite what was traditional for the building. Neither would be able to sleep without the other, and Hajime was always looking after his big sister, for he did not wish to lose her as well.

"Hajime, Yugi! Moto children, there is someone here wishing to bring one of you home!" The two twins recognized that voice to belong to Sir Lanyard, the orphanage director, and the man who made sure that every orphan was fed enough. If one orphan took another's food, they were whipped and told to pay the child back the next day. As always, Yugi and Hajime were the exception. Yugi had never been one to eat much, and Hajime had always taken what his sister didn't eat.

"Haki," Yugi whispered, "do you think it's safe to say we won? We've been in here since after breakfast. Surely they have found everyone else by now and it's safe." The two were hiding from their fellow orphans in a small closet in the back of their room.

Her brother laughed quietly. "And put up with a bunch of people trying to tear us apart?" he asked. "Nuh uh. If they give up, they'll tell us. Besides, who's to say they didn't get Lanyard to help them find us? I'd rather chance Lanyard being mad at us than losing a game!"

"Okay," Yugi said, cuddling into her brother. "When do you think they're going to give up? They know they're not gonna find us..." She looked up at her brother, and smiled when they heard a chorus of children shouting that they give up from right outside the closet.

The two smiled and opened the closet to smile at the other orphans, who were sitting on their bed. "Hey, guys," Hajime said, smiling as he waved. "You guys were so close! You should have looked there first! Remember, it was Yugi's turn to pick our hiding spot, and she loves her clothes."

The other orphans laughed as Yugi lightly tapped her brother on the shoulder and the younger twin feigned pain. Their constant playful bickering was something all were used to, having been around it since most had entered the orphanage. "Yugi! Hajime! Come _on_! Someone wants to adopt a child!" Lanyard's voice called.

"'Ugi," one of the younger girls said as she tugged on the girl's plain white dress. "You're not weaving, wight?" she asked. Yugi laughed and shook her head, saying that she had no plans on leaving. "Good, because mone of da older girls are as fun as you!" the girl exclaimed as she hugged Yugi.

Yugi smiled and hugged her back. "Even if I did leave, I would always come back," she said, kissing the girl's head. "Haki, come on. We need to go see Lanyard now. If we don't, he'll kill us."

Hajime laughed. "He'll have to get through me before he can get to you," he replied before the two walked to the end of the hall, where Lanyard was watching. He looked at their locked hands and sighed, for he knew that anyone trying to separate them would have to break the impossibly strong grip the two had when they held hands. He knew such a thing to be impossible, for he had tried on many an occasion.

"Come along, children," the man said. "This kind lady is willing to take two children home with her. Will you please try to suit her needs?" The two gave him a glance and gave off a smile that did not give away their answer. The two children behaved when the seemingly kind woman asked them hundreds of questions, and they were taken under her wing that very day.

Seven years passed after that. They were seven long, miserable years spent living with the woman, who turned out to be so cruel as to turn them into servants the moment they stepped into her house. The woman – the children called her "stepmother" – had a beautiful daughter by the name of Aveline. She was a selfish girl with a heart of stone, never showing any kindness to her step siblings, who were younger than her by a single year. She treated them like simple slaves, for that is what her mother had told her they were: slaves given to the young girl as a birthday gift.

"Hajime, Yugi!" the stepmother called one evening. The twins ran to her and smiled as they showed their respect by either curtsying or bowing. "It took you long enough!" the woman scolded, smacking each of them across the face. "Hajime, you must go to the village and get some things. Here is a list of what you shall buy," she said, handing the boy a piece of parchment before sending him off and looking at the girl in disgust. "And _you,_ you little heathen," she said, grabbing the girl by her ear and pulling her into the kitchen. "Did you eat this?" the woman demanded, pointing at the area where there had been a block of cheese that morning.

"No, stepmother," Yugi answered. "I have never cared for it, and it makes me sick." She opened her mouth to add something but hesitated before deciding to say what she wanted to say, for she knew that the punishment would be no worse than if she had never said anything. "Perhaps it was Aveline? She loves cheese far more than Hajime and I."

She received a smack for her comment and was sent to the kitchens to help the chefs cook dinner, which she would not be eating that night. She would let Hajime eat tonight since he never got to eat dinner. Their stepmother only ever had the chefs make enough for three, and Yugi would give what she didn't eat to her brother.

After she finished making dinner, she ran outside and got on her horse, Basta. She was the only thing that their stepmother had allowed them to keep from home. "Basta, fly," she said. Her dad had trained the horse to only let Yugi and her friends and family to touch it and to follow certain commands. The word fly told the horse that her rider had no destination and could ride wherever she felt comfortable.

The horse, seeming to understand her rider's problem, rode straight to her mother's grave, where they found Hajime. "Haki?" Yugi asked, dismounting her horse and walking to her twin brother, who was sleeping on the grave. She smiled, figuring this was where Hajime went when their stepmother stressed him out.

There was a rustling noise behind her, and she turned quickly around as her brother sat up. Not for the first time since their stepmother had taken them in, Yugi was glad her twin was such a light sleeper. "I swear, Malik, I heard someone over here," someone – a male, by the sound of his voice – said to something someone had said.

"Yami, you're taking things to seriously. It was probably just a squirrel again," another male replied. "I swear, you've been taking things way too seriously since your mother died. What happened to the old Yami who used to play around when he was hunting through the woods for nothing?"

The sounds of the two people moving sounded closer. Yugi huddled with her brother, for the two were scared and always took comfort in the other being nearby. The bush in front of them moved as two people appeared. "He disappeared long ago," the shorter of the two males replied to the other before looking up. When he did, he was met with the shock of his life, for he was looking at perhaps the most beautiful maiden to ever find her way into his sight.

"Who... who are you...?" his companion asked as the taller just stared. "What are you doing in this part of the woods? It belongs to the noble family of Moto, if you didn't know. I advise you leave; we can have you charged for trespassing.

Hajime looked slightly angered by the comment, which was understandable, for these people – probably no more than commoners visiting from another part of the kingdom – were trespassing on their family's land and claiming that they had the right to send them to jail!

"My apologies, sir, but we knew the Moto family closely, and when Lady Akira and Lord Zachariah died, we were given permission by their remaining child to visit their graves, and if you look behind us, you will see the stones marking their grave sites," Yugi said before the other Moto could respond.

The two men looked strangely at him. "Who are you?" the taller asked. He was getting annoyed by the avoiding of answering the question.

"I am no one of any importance," Yugi replied. "I am a country girl, and he is a country boy, just two honest civilians trying to escape the world by visiting our best friends' parents' graves. Who are you?"

"I am Malik Ishtar, and this is Pri –" the other male's hand was immediately over his friend's mouth, and he smiled.

"I am perfectly capable of introducing myself, Malik," he said before he turned to the girl and boy. "My name is Atem, but you may call me Yami, beautiful maiden," he answered the beautiful girl with a bow and a smile. The four spent the rest of the day speaking until Yami was called away, and Malik followed him, waving at the two. "Perhaps we shall meet again someday," the shorter called with a smile.

"Malik, when you went to that village, did you see the beautiful girl again?" It had been three years since the two males had seen the maiden and her brother. Yami sat on a throne of sorts with a crown on his head, but where most would be enjoying the luxury, he simply looked more torn than he usually did, for he had not seen the beautiful maiden he was determined to marry since that day and could not get her out of his head – not that he would want to.

"I am afraid not, my Prince," Malik said as he looked through some papers in his arms. He had made regular visits to the village where the two commoners had lived, but he had never seen more than a glimpse of the boy and not even one of the girl. "She seems to have disappeared from the kingdom, for whenever I go to the village, I catch a glimpse or so of the boy but never one of the girl. I tried to follow the boy this time, but he is a master of evasion. I lost him within the hour, and he had not even left the village yet."

The prince sighed as he rested his head on his hand, his heart broken at the thought of never seeing the girl again. "Is there anyway we could get her to come here?" he asked, looking at his friend. "I feel as if she holds my heart in my hand, and should I never see her again, I know I shall die of heartbreak."

Malik sighed. "Well... We could make the upcoming ball for you to find a wife in two months an event where we invite all noble maidens under a certain age to the ball, but that is the closest we will be able to get to an honest country girl. They may come with one other person, so her brother – he was awful protective of her – may come as well in order to protect her," he said. "But you must be careful, Prince, for you must marry someone of high status. She was merely a commoner as far as we know..."

Yami looked at his friend and sighed. "Yes, I know," he said, looking down. "But I haven't an idea how I shall marry another when thoughts of her will not leave me. I fell in love that fateful day in the woods, and I have yet to fall out of it..."

"I shall send the invitations out today then, Your Highness," Malik said before walking out.

Yugi woke up in a place different than the one she fell asleep in, and her brother was nowhere near her. That was how she knew she wasn't dreaming, for whenever she dreamed,her brother was always there with her to fend off the many monsters she might face in her nightmares. "Hello?" she called instinctively. She knew the chances of whoever was here with her – if there _was_ anyone here with her – replying were slim, but what else could she do? "Haki? If this is you playing a trick on me, it isn't very funny... I'm scared..." There was no response. "Haki?" Another moment without a response. "Hajime, are you there? Are you even bothering to listen to me?"

"Oh, shut up, you immature child," someone – a girl, probably a woman – said. "Your brother is fine for now. I have but one reason to keep him, and as soon as you fulfill your duty, he will be safe."

"What...?" the girl asked, her voice shaky. "Don't... don't hurt Haki... I beg of you... He has never hurt anyone, and he wouldn't ever hurt anyone, certainly not you. Please, I ask of you, don't..."

"Silence!" the woman roared as she stepped into view of the child. "Your brother will only die if you fail to do as you are told! Follow me!" The woman walked away, and Yugi followed her hesitantly. She would at the very least _see_ what this woman wanted to show her and wanted her to do... "Do you see the person in this picture?" she asked, pointing at a picture of a vaguely familiar boy, for it was one of the boys from that day at her parents' graveyard. She had barely thought about either of them, her stepmother constantly keeping her busy with chores. Her brother had claimed to have seen the taller one a few times in the village, but Hajime was always quite good at avoiding being found when he wanted to be. "I want you to kill him. By midnight on his eighteenth birthday, I want this boy dead. I do not care how he dies, but he must die. Do you understand me?"

"Why... Why do you want me to kill him?" Yugi asked the woman, her amethyst eyes shining with tears. "No one deserves to die prematurely, and I have met him before. He is a very kind human, and _he_ of all people does not deserve death."

"Do you not see?" the woman demanded. "He denied my request for marriage! You do not need to know anymore, other than that _I_ should be the one to stand by his side for the remainder of his life! Not some random lady he meets in a month!" There was silence for a moment before the woman spoke again. "Your stepmother will allow you to go to the ball; it is there where you shall see him again. Wear your mother's old dress."

"Yugi, are you ready to leave yet? If you aren't, we are leaving you!" Yugi's stepmother called from the bottom of the stairs to Yugi's room in the attic. Once upon a time, it had been Yugi and Hajime's room, but after that woman kidnapped Hajime, it became simply her room, for there was no Hajime to keep her company at night and fend away nightmares.

"Coming, stepmother!" Yugi shouted, walking down the stairs in a light purple dress. Her hair was done up in a bun with a purple headband. The dress was a simple thing, with see through sleeves that went down to her wrist, although one could only see to the elbow, for the young girl was wearing slightly darker purple gloves that stopped there. The dress itself reached halfway down her calves, and a pair of flat shoes covered her normally bare feet.

Her stepmother and stepsister stared in awe at the girl, for not an hour ago, she looked like no more than a mere servant, and now she looked like the noble girl she truly was, perhaps even a princess. Not even they could match the ethereal beauty that she had inherited from her mother. "Come along now, and remember that you are not to try and speak to the prince. We are saving his heart for the beautiful Aveline. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, stepmother. I have no desire to speak to the prince. There is someone I am hoping to see again and I am under the knowledge that he shall be at the ball," the girl said.

"Now introducing Her Highness Princess Jane from the Kingdom of Jewels," the man at the door said. The princess and her mother curtsied before they continued entering the room. "Lady Mari Ann and her daughter Lady Aveline." Yugi's stepmother and stepsister walked in before her, curtsying before the two entered the ball room in search of the prince. "Lady–" There was no name for her on the list, since she was technically not supposed to be there. She had originally been told that she would not be going, and since she was not yet under the authority of a man, her stepmother's word was law.

"Heba Montage," Yugi said, making up a random name on the spot.

She looked around, searching for one of the boys from that day in the forest. She smiled, seeing Yami walking towards her as the crowd parted for him. "Milady, might I take this first dance with you?" he asked when he reached her, bowing.

The girl laughed quietly, curtsying with a nod. "Why did you not tell me you were a prince? I was under the impression you were a commoner from another village. My brother was going to yell and scream at you for yelling at us for being on our friends' parents' land," she said, placing her right hand in the prince's left hand and her left hand on the prince's shoulder.

"Why did you not tell me you were a noble? Malik and I were under the impression that you were just a commoner. Malik was going to call the guards on you for trespassing on the Moto family's land!" Yami replied as his hand made its way to the girl's waist.

Yugi smiled at him. "Touche, Your highness, touche," she replied.

Yami made a face. "No, no, no, Yugi! I told you to call me Yami! That doesn't change just because you know I'm a prince now! Do you know how annoying it is to hear people constantly calling me that? Even _Malik_ has to call me that when we're here because its _proper_! If anyone comments, we'll just tell them that you're a special case," he said.

"Where's Malik?" Yugi asked, looking around. If Yami asked why she needed to know, she would just say mild curiosity.

"Sick and in bed, where he should be," Yami answered before asking his own question. "Where's your brother? He certainly didn't seem the type to allow you to go far without him nearby..."

Yugi hesitated, remembering what she had to do. Remembering who she had to kill and why her brother was not with her. "I... It's been three years, Yami... And... People change..." She hated that she had to lie to him, but if Yami knew what she was about to do, she had no doubt he would have her executed, no matter how much he cared for her or how close they had gotten on that one day they knew each other. "Hajime and I got in a fight a few weeks ago, and we haven't spoken since..."

Yami looked at her sympathetically. "What did you and he fight about, if you don't mind my asking...?" he asked kindly as he lifted their connected hands up and spun her under them.

"It was something stupid..." Yugi answered. "We... got the invitations, and he said I wasn't allowed to go some ball where a prince tries to find a wife. He didn't want to chance me marrying someone I had only known for a few minutes..." she lied convincingly.

"Well," Yami said, bowing as the dance ended. "What would he say if I were to ask you to marry _me_? I do believe he and I got along quite well; perhaps he would grant me permission."

The smile on his face as he asked was contagious, and Yugi couldn't resist smiling with him as she shrugged and walked outside to the balcony, the prince following her. She leaned against the railing as she took it out of its bun. The wind blew her hair around her face, concealing her eyes at times as she stared at the stars. After a few moments of thought, she sighed. "I honestly don't know, Yami," she admitted, although it stung her to say it, for although the two _hadn't_ been fighting, she knew that she and her brother grew more distant with each passing day, and their once tight sibling bond was tearing apart because their stepmother would never allow them time to be together. "Haki and I haven't been very close as of late, and I don't know if it's because we haven't seen much of each other or because he thinks he might be hurting me."

An arm wrapped around her waist, and Yami pulled her into his chest. "I'm sure it isn't your fault, whatever it is," he said. "From what I figured out of your brother that day in the woods, he is stubborn and cares more about you than anyone could ever imagine."

Yugi smiled as the song that was currently playing ended. "Would you like to leave the party?" he asked quietly. "My room isn't far from this one, and Malik's brother is in charge of the ball at the moment, and he's always been one for breaking rules. He's crazy, but he won't send anyone after us as long as he figures out where we're going, which shouldn't be too hard. We could escape to a land where fighting doesn't exist, where we can be ourselves no matter what..." he whispered.

Yugi looked at him and smiled sadly. She contemplated it for a moment. Would it be wise to agree to go to the prince's room? What if she forgot what she had to do...? What if she lost her nerve and let her brother die? Could she even succeed in what she was doing either way? She didn't want to kill anyone, didn't want to become a murderer. She knew no evidence would be found pointing back to her. Everyone here except Yami thought her name was Heba. There would be no way to find her once she left, so it wasn't fear of getting caught that made her hesitate.

It was simple unwillingness to kill an innocent person. She didn't think anyone deserved to die, but she had to save her brother somehow... "Yes," she finally said as Yami started bouncing, clearly nervous. "I would love to get away from the party, if that is alright with you..." Yami smiled and pulled her away from the room and to a room a few halls over.

Yugi sighed, gently cutting her finger with the knife to make sure it was sharp enough. She hated that she had to do this, to betray Yami. She was certain she had fallen in love with him, but she didn't know what to do to prevent this. She could have told Yami about her brother, but what could he do? Sure he was the prince, but there was nothing he could do about it... No one knew who the woman was, not even Yugi. She was certain she would not be able to recognize the woman on the streets, but... Should she go through with this ultimate act of betrayal, or should she let her brother die? The decision was a hard one, but she finally took the knife and walked over to the sleeping other.

"I'm sorry," she whispered with a few tears falling as the first stroke of the clock began, signaling that it was midnight. "So... So sorry... I don't know what else to do though... I... I love you..." She kissed him lightly on the lips before dragging the knife across his throat, leaving a clean cut across it.

She allowed the knife to fall from her gloved hand and put both of them to her mouth, silencing the heartbreaking sobs that threatened to escape. She turned and fled the scene quickly, her dress flying around her. She was grateful that the palace was empty at this time. Anyone who saw her would think she had done something wrong, she was sure, with the way she violently turned corners without slowing down and looked fearfully behind her every few seconds.

When she escaped the palace, she made her way to the woods, where the woman had wanted to meet up with her after she killed the prince. She allowed the branches she ran through to tear the once beautiful dress into pieces, shredding it without a care. She would never need it again. She slowed to a stop when she reached an old, dilapidated church.

"Hello?" she called, entering the church. "Is anyone here?"

"Glad to see you made it," someone said from behind her. Yugi jumped and turned around, startled at the voice. She could have sworn no one had been there when she entered the church, but she might have missed them. She suddenly felt like one of the characters in the spooky stories Sir Lanyard used to tell some nights. "I suppose you'll be wanting your brother back now, won't you?"

"Yes, please," Yugi answered quietly, her shoulders slumping as she slid down a wall. "I... I killed the prince for you... No one will be coming, either, so can I please have him back?"

The woman smirked before turning around and walking up a set of stairs that Yugi had not seen upon entering the church. "Hajime, your sister wants you!" she called up the stairs.

Hajime came down moments later, looking worn and weary. If Yugi didn't know any better, she would have said it looked as if someone had broken her brother's spirit, taken away any hope he had left. Of course, she _did_ know better. Even after their sister – bless sweet little Anika's heart – was determined dead, he never gave up hope that she was alive.

The moment his eyes landed on his sister, his whole face brightened, and he ran down the stairs to her. "Oh, thank God you're okay..." he muttered, kissing the top of Yugi's head. "Thank _God..._ She said you weren't likely to survive long enough to make it here after you did what you had to do... She said you might not even do that. What... what did she tell you to do...?"

Yugi shook her head, tears suddenly springing to her eyes once again. She didn't want to tell him... What would Haki say if he heard? But she had to... No matter what he thought, she had to... He would find out any way, and he would be even more mad if he found out through someone else who had somehow found out who she really was. "She... she said I had to... to kill the prince... And he just... he just happened to be Yami... Haki, I didn't want to! But I wouldn't have been able to survive with the thought that I was the cause of your death! I'm sorry... So sorry..." she said, sobbing.

"You... You killed someone? And Yami is – was – the prince?" Hajime asked. Yugi nodded and curled in on herself, apologizing even more. Hajime hugged his sister, but that wasn't enough for the now sobbing girl.

"Aw, what a sweet family reunion," the woman said suddenly, crossing her arms. Yugi looked up and saw her smirking. Of course, only the woman knew the truth. She had never planned on sparing anyone, for she loved to cause others pain and see them struggling. She never told anyone that, just walked up to them and cut vertically down Hajime's left arm. "I almost feel sorry it has to be cut short, but what can one do? I made myself a promise, you see, that I would never allow a person the prince loved to be happy. Not after he snatched _my_ happiness from right under my nose. And now," she said, "your happiness will be snatched from right under your nose the same way mine was." The woman walked out of the church after she spoke, and no matter how hard she looked, Yugi couldn't find her. Her brother was gone within the hour...

Weeks passed like months, and months like years until Yugi's eighteenth birthday. She "celebrated" alone, for she had no one to celebrate with. Her stepmother and stepsister had disappeared from the planet, and she had no more family. She was alone, never to be seen again by the world. It was a sad story, but it was the truth. The only thing she wanted for her birthday was to be free, so she finally gave in, being selfish for the first time in her life.

She walked into the bathroom and filled the tub with water. She climbed in, laying down under the water and pulling a heavy glass lid over her head so that even if she did float up after falling unconscious, her head wouldn't float up above it and she would succeed in dying. She was gone not long after.

But, had the girl waited a few more minutes, she would have heard the knock on the front door. She would have answered to see a girl with coal black hair and brown eyes. Brown eyes that came from neither her father nor her mother. Black hair that perfectly framed a round face, and she would have heard the introduction that the young girl had been practicing for months:

"Hi, my name is Anika Moto, and I think we might be related..."

Sadly, she had not. Instead, she had died, lonely and unknown to the world, thinking she had no family. Not long after, the girl at her door – who was married with twins – would commit suicide, and years later, her children would as well... It was a never ending cycle in their family, one no one could stop. Each of the children had children, and each of those children killed themselves after they had children. Until a few hundred years later, when a boy named Yugi was born in the same palace as a prince named Yami, and the two best friends would grow up and fall in love, killing themselves years later after the family feud that no one knew the start of, for they had never had children, as such ending the cycle of Motos who killed themselves...


End file.
